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Title: Superfluid response of two-dimensional parahydrogen clusters in confinement

Abstract

We study by computer simulations the effect of confinement on the superfluid properties of small two-dimensional (2D) parahydrogen clusters. For clusters of fewer than twenty molecules, the superfluid response in the low temperature limit is found to remain comparable in magnitude to that of free clusters, within a rather wide range of depth and size of the confining well. The resilience of the superfluid response is attributable to the “supersolid” character of these clusters. We investigate the possibility of establishing a bulk 2D superfluid “cluster crystal” phase of p-H{sub 2}, in which a global superfluid response would arise from tunnelling of molecules across adjacent unit cells. The computed energetics suggests that for clusters of about ten molecules, such a phase may be thermodynamically stable against the formation of the equilibrium insulating crystal, for values of the cluster crystal lattice constant possibly allowing tunnelling across adjacent unit cells.

Authors:
;  [1]
  1. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta T6G 2E7 (Canada)
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
22415607
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Journal Name:
Journal of Chemical Physics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 142; Journal Issue: 13; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); Journal ID: ISSN 0021-9606
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; 37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY; COMPARATIVE EVALUATIONS; COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION; CONFINEMENT; CRYSTALS; EQUILIBRIUM; HYDROGEN; MOLECULAR CLUSTERS; MOLECULES; SUPERFLUIDITY; TUNNEL EFFECT; TWO-DIMENSIONAL SYSTEMS

Citation Formats

Idowu, Saheed, and Boninsegni, Massimo. Superfluid response of two-dimensional parahydrogen clusters in confinement. United States: N. p., 2015. Web. doi:10.1063/1.4916616.
Idowu, Saheed, & Boninsegni, Massimo. Superfluid response of two-dimensional parahydrogen clusters in confinement. United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4916616
Idowu, Saheed, and Boninsegni, Massimo. 2015. "Superfluid response of two-dimensional parahydrogen clusters in confinement". United States. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4916616.
@article{osti_22415607,
title = {Superfluid response of two-dimensional parahydrogen clusters in confinement},
author = {Idowu, Saheed and Boninsegni, Massimo},
abstractNote = {We study by computer simulations the effect of confinement on the superfluid properties of small two-dimensional (2D) parahydrogen clusters. For clusters of fewer than twenty molecules, the superfluid response in the low temperature limit is found to remain comparable in magnitude to that of free clusters, within a rather wide range of depth and size of the confining well. The resilience of the superfluid response is attributable to the “supersolid” character of these clusters. We investigate the possibility of establishing a bulk 2D superfluid “cluster crystal” phase of p-H{sub 2}, in which a global superfluid response would arise from tunnelling of molecules across adjacent unit cells. The computed energetics suggests that for clusters of about ten molecules, such a phase may be thermodynamically stable against the formation of the equilibrium insulating crystal, for values of the cluster crystal lattice constant possibly allowing tunnelling across adjacent unit cells.},
doi = {10.1063/1.4916616},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/22415607}, journal = {Journal of Chemical Physics},
issn = {0021-9606},
number = 13,
volume = 142,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Apr 07 00:00:00 EDT 2015},
month = {Tue Apr 07 00:00:00 EDT 2015}
}